A study in the journal Advanced Materials explains how nanotechnology makes possible the prospect of developing materials that allow the generation of electricity from humidity in the air. Specially designed nanopores allow surface charging takes place from an adsorption-desorption process allowing for continuous electricity output. So far the authors have built a small-scale prototype.
The article is titled: “Generic Air-Gen Effect in Nanoporous Materials for Sustainable Energy Harvesting from Air Humidity:
Authors are: Xiaomeng Liu, Hongyan Gao, Lu Sun, and Jun Yao
The abstract can be read at the link below, the full text is behind a paywall.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.202300748
The authors envisage products called Air-gens, which will be built of nano-materials that can continuously be charged from humidity and produce electricity 24/7.
Lead author Jun Yao,professor of engineering at the University of Massachusetts told the Washington Post that:
“Roughly 1 billion Air-gens, stacked to be roughly the size of a refrigerator, could produce a kilowatt and partly power a home in ideal conditions.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2023/05/26/harvest-energy-thin-air/
